Sunday, 30 May 2010

Thanks Dennis

The photojournalist from Apocalypse Now played by the wonderful Dennis Hopper

Yesterday brought the sad news that the actor Dennis Hopper had died at the age of 74. He had been ill with cancer. For me, Hopper will always be the enigmatic photojournalist in Apocalypse Now, the 1979 Vietnam war movie made by Francis Ford Cappola.

Dennis Hopper's portrayal of a burnt out, partially insane photojournalist really captured the persona of a number of Vietnam war photographers from that era. Two that spring to mind are Sean Flynn and Tim Page who both had a tendancy to push their luck when it came to getting the shots. Page was mentioned by Cappola as a main influence for the photojournalist character.

Hopper had some memorable lines in the film, but the one that i love has to be where the photojournlist remarks that if is the middle word in life. So true.

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Launched back in February 2007, the Richard Flint Photography blog features a growing archive covering classic and contemporary photography, photography history, photographer profiles, videos, and links to great multimedia content.